Any post-Disneyland trip illnesses/covid?

[gelatoni fan]

I've done a fair bit of traveling this year and I'm disappointed with the pandemic control at Disneyland. There's no social distancing and one of the worst things is that they allow people to crowd around in front of characters and wait for shows unmasked. Compared to the Asian Disney parks, they're abysmal at pandemic control. Additionally, in the US, "mask" is often times a piece of dirty cloth which was meant to be "better than nothing" until global N95 production picked up but most Americans never upgraded. Cast members also wear non-certified cloth masks as part of their uniform and nobody knows if they are even regularly washed/sanitized. Compare this to Asia where 99% of people wear surgical or N95 masks and actually throw them away each day.

But for a relevant comparison, we have to compare to other places in the US. All the airports I've been to do a better job at pandemic control and I also feel safer in Hawaii than Disneyland. I've been to zoos and aquariums in several states this year and I feel less safe at Disneyland due to the unmasked crowds. The one place in the US I have been to this year that feels worse at pandemic control than Disneyland is Las Vegas. Hotels in the US generally see a bit lower mask compliance than Disneyland but you aren't packed in with a bunch of people unlike at Disneyland. So Disneyland is a bit above average for the US in terms of enforcing mask compliance indoors but I do sometimes see people take off their masks on rides and not get in trouble.

I haven't gotten sick at all from any of my travels.

 

[sophy1996]

Two DLR visits this fall. A three-day trip in October for OBB. I caught something (tested negative for COVID) that really came on fast on the way home and felt pretty bad for a few days after the trip.

Was already vaxed, boosted at end of October. Five-day trip over Veterans Day weekend (busy!), followed by three days in Palm Springs. Neither of us got sick at all.

 

[Meriweather]

5 nights in Sept and 5 nights a couple weeks ago. Stayed at Grand Californian.
2 people first time, 4 the other time.
No one got sick

 

[DisSurfer878]

We haven’t been back since COVID but I will say at least one of us gets sick every time we go. We sort of chalk it up to the cost of going.

This is true. We went in May for 3 days when there was masks required indoors and out, 25% capacity, social distancing in lines, and we never ate indoors. I still got a cold when I got back a couple days later. I was fully vaxxed, DH half vaxxed. He didn't get sick, but I did. It was mild, had come and gone in about 3 and a half days. But there was also a late season cold bug going around Southern California at the time, and I know about ten people who had a cold (not covid) in May.

 

[miksicnarf]

We're local and have been a bunch of times, day visits and overnight stays. All adults are vaxxed and boosted but my 2 granddaughters are still too young. All except the 2 year old wear masks at all times. I carry Lysol wipes and wipe down tables when we eat, and we wash and sanitize our hands at every opportunity and keep our distance as much as possible. So far so good. My son's family have had colds (no way to tell if it was contracted at DL), they've tested negative for Covid.
This time last year I thought I'd never go to a Disney park again. It took me a while to readjust my thinking but I wasn't going to miss my youngest granddaughter's first visit, and I've gradually gotten used to going out in public again...cautiously!

 

[Pluto468]

Thank you everyone for your responses! This definitely makes me feel like I’m not being completely irresponsible for considering a Disney trip. Thank you for your kind, detailed replies and and loving suggestions. I appreciate your personal perspectives and your genuine desire to understand my fears! ❤ It’s good to know that others feel like their diligence paid off and they were able to have some control over what they exposed themselves to!

This is a great post, thanks for asking that question. We are supposed to go in January and I have been having second thoughts because of the new variant. We've been trying to take this trip since January 2020 and I really don't want to cancel again! But on the other hand it's important to be realistic about the risks. I feel much better about it after reading all the replies. We are all vaccinated and the adults are boosted. There are of course no guarantees but it seems like if we are careful it is possible to go to Disneyland without catching covid. Somehow in my mind I'd built it up as practically inevitable that we would all get sick if we go. I feel much more optimistic about it now


Have a great time on your trip!

 

[disneylover102]

For any of you who have recently taken a trip to Disneyland (within last 6 months), would you mind replying and letting me know if you got sick in the week after returning (or maybe even DURING your trip)?
We have a Disneyland trip next week. I'm feeling anxious due to health concerns so just trying to gather some data points to maybe help my brain cope with the potential risks we'll be taking by exposing ourselves to such large crowds. We have done everything we can up to this point (limited contact with people outside our "bubble", low crowds, vaxxed and boosted, masked up, etc) and will continue to mask up, sanitize, and keep ourselves from extremely crowded areas where possible while at Disneyland, but I'm just wondering if other people have felt like they followed all these same precautions, but still ended up getting covid/illnesses that they attributed to their Disneyland exposure? Please reply if you have also been to Disneyland and didn't experience any post-Disney illness in your household; those are useful data points as well!

**please don't comment to offer vaccination and/or covid advice/opinions* I'm strictly looking for experiences related to post-DisneyLAND illnesses in your household that you might attribute to your time at Disneyland.

January WDW trip (before most were vaccinated): me and my sister. I had a slight sore throat when we left. That went away quickly and both of us felt great the rest of the time except my feet lol. Disney 10 days and Universal 3 days

July DL trip: we all felt well before, during, and after our trip. There were 7 of us. Disneyland 5 days, Universal 1 day, Knott’s 1 day

October/November trip: Oogie Boogie Bash on Halloween and then 5 days at Disneyland after that. I got my booster shot a week and a half before leaving and that knocked me out and I caught a cold at that same time. I tested negative for covid and none of my roommates were getting sick from me and so I figured it was ok to go. I had a slight leftover cough the whole trip and a little bit of a sore throat but it wasn’t too bad. My friends I was with didn’t get sick the whole week and as far as I know they didn’t get sick when they got home. I, however, had to go on a little adventure to get home: Disneyland closed at 11 and I needed to get to LAX for a 6 AM flight. Transportation is very limited at that time of night and I wasn’t gonna pay $60 for an Uber to the airport. I couldn’t afford that. So I got an Uber to a nearby metro station. Then I took the metro to close to the airport. Then the bus that should’ve taken me the rest of the way to the airport didn’t show up and I had to walk a mile to the budget car rental station to get a shuttle to the airport. Then security wasn’t open so I had to sleep on the cold hard floor in front of it until it opened. Then I went through security and slept at my gate for an hour and then on the plane for 2 hours. And then I had to work at a football game for 7 hours. I was sick the week after that. But I highly doubt it was because of exposure at Disneyland. I think because my cold wasn’t all the way gone and I traveled all night including sleeping in the cold, and then proceeded to work for a hecking long time is why I got sick “again.” Btw I do not recommend traveling all night to get to the airport. But I had to work at this football game or I wouldn’t get my textbooks paid gor

 

[Piglet99645]

I, however, had to go on a little adventure to get home: Disneyland closed at 11 and I needed to get to LAX for a 6 AM flight. Transportation is very limited at that time of night and I wasn’t gonna pay $60 for an Uber to the airport. I couldn’t afford that. So I got an Uber to a nearby metro station. Then I took the metro to close to the airport. Then the bus that should’ve taken me the rest of the way to the airport didn’t show up and I had to walk a mile to the budget car rental station to get a shuttle to the airport. Then security wasn’t open so I had to sleep on the cold hard floor in front of it until it opened. Then I went through security and slept at my gate for an hour and then on the plane for 2 hours. And then I had to work at a football game for 7 hours. I was sick the week after that. But I highly doubt it was because of exposure at Disneyland. I think because my cold wasn’t all the way gone and I traveled all night including sleeping in the cold, and then proceeded to work for a hecking long time is why I got sick “again.” Btw I do not recommend traveling all night to get to the airport. But I had to work at this football game or I wouldn’t get my textbooks paid gor

Im exhausted just reading this. If I had a time machine I’d go back and give you $60.

We went to DL with 5 day park hoppers in June when there was no mask requirement. My teens wore their masks religiously and scolded me when I took mine off. It was nice to feel normal for a week. We had long flights. Nobody got sick. (All had two shots before going)

now we are all boosted and going for 5 days over New Years. Having some anxiety about omicron so I really appreciate this thread.

 

[disneylover102]

Im exhausted just reading this. If I had a time machine I’d go back and give you $60.

Lol I mean you can still give me $60 if you want jkjk yeah it’s something I hope to never experience again

 

[millie0312]

Just a thought from pre-Covid since we haven’t gone to the parks yet post-Covid. Even though pre-Covid I’m a crazy person and wipe everything with Clorox wipes, especially during the travel portion, always had hand sanitizer and was hand washing crazy- again before it was a thing like it is now lol my younger guy always seemed to pick up something from the mix in the park or traveling (or licking something he shouldn’t or who knows what lol)- I would expect that during certain times like cold and flu season after the traveling and long park hours you will be tired and likely will be around some kind of germ- Probably not even Covid. It was certainly true before and certainly now as well. We personally got Covid several months ago from my elderly fully vaccinated mom and both my kids are homeschooled and we have very little risk level, so it doesn’t take a full park to get Covid sadly. Anyway, if your kids are anything like mine we just expect that we will come home with sore throats and tired, hopefully not much else although we go yearly and have ended up twice in the ER (just my youngest) with serious illness during our trip (although I expect both times it was a food borne illness). We’re at the point now where we just need to do what we do to be comfortable and happy and keep on moving forward, so let your parent intuition lead you (especially if you feel over stressed one way or another) and bring lots of hand sanitizer, cleaning wipes and liquid soap for the hotel- we also load up on vitamin C before the trip to help booster our system. Lots of emergen-C or airborne too- they make kid ones that they seem to like well enough. Preventatives and basic cleanliness and caution usually keep away most of the germs (and keeping the younger kids from doing what they do best like dropping then eating food off the ground… yup we’ve had to have that talk in Disneyland lol). Hope you have a great time!!

 

[disfan20001]

We went for 5 days over Halloween weekend. We had 2 adults and one teen who were vaxed and 2 kids who were not old enough at that point. I was a little nervous since kids vaccinations had just been announced but we decided we wanted to go. We chose to wear masks indoors and out, didn’t eat at restaurants and didn’t watch fireworks in large crowds. We were all fine. Took airplane and rode in Uber’s.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Hope that you and your son get well soon!

Thank you!

 

[evilmommie]

I go every other week alone, with hubby or a group of friends. Haven’t picked up anything. We stay away from crowds, with the exception of some of the ride lines.

Have a fabulous time!

 

[amylovesdamon]

Canadian here who visited betweren 12/5-9. We had to have a negative PCR test in order to return to Canada.
At the parks, we had our mask on almost at all times and were quite cautious (and paranoid) as several people were coughing. We used hand sanitizer religiously and minimized actual time indoors (dining outside etc).

We actually felt less Covid safe in our hotel. 90% of guests in our hotel did not have masks on at all. Nor did anyone wear masks on the shuttle.

A day after we returned, my husband had a very sore throat and lots of congestion. We were worried so we went to get tested again. Came back negative. Must have been a combination of colder weather, lower immune as we had long Disney days lol

Hope that sheds some insight!

thank you for sharing your experience. Are you saying Disneyland was colder than Canada in December?
also curious what hotel you stayed in that you didn’t feel protected at (if you feel comfortable sharing that info). We are staying at a Hyatt. I’ve stayed at multiple Hyatt properties over the past year and have been so appreciative of their masking enforcement and Covid protocols. I’m hoping for a similar experience at the Anaheim Hyatt House!

 

[artoftheglitch]

Went 12/4-12/11 with my wife. Wore masks indoors and out with the exception of eating. Parks were crazy crowded, not a lot of folks wearing masks outdoors, most people wearing them indoors, but no distancing measures were being made. Lots of folks weren't wearing masks properly, either (nose hanging out, etc.).

Felt fine throughout the trip, developed a bit of a runny nose the last day or two I chalked up to allergies and smog. Got home and we both took one of the rapid tests I had bought beforehand to be on the safe side. I turned up positive, my wife so far has not.

No symptoms or anything, but it's a bit of a pain to be trapped in my house away from friends and loved ones this close to Christmas.

 

[dcfromva]

... I, however, had to go on a little adventure to get home: Disneyland closed at 11 and I needed to get to LAX for a 6 AM flight. Transportation is very limited at that time of night and I wasn’t gonna pay $60 for an Uber to the airport. I couldn’t afford that. So I got an Uber to a nearby metro station. Then I took the metro to close to the airport. Then the bus that should’ve taken me the rest of the way to the airport didn’t show up and I had to walk a mile to the budget car rental station to get a shuttle to the airport. Then security wasn’t open so I had to sleep on the cold hard floor in front of it until it opened. Then I went through security and slept at my gate for an hour and then on the plane for 2 hours....

Sorry you were not feeling well on your return trip home, but I have to admire your ingenuity getting to the airport.

 

[chezcurrie]

Still in CA with my famly of 5 - DH, myself and DS12 all double vaxed, DS8 and DS5 1 shot. Did 2 days in LA (1 @ Universal) and 4 at DisneyLand, currently at the beach. DS12 has the sniffles, but his PCR test on Thursday was negative, and we did an antigen test today and it is also negative. Think it is because he is a stubborn Canadian (I’m from California) who thinks Thursday night’s 40 degree rainy weather was warm and wouldnt listen to his mom and put on a jacket!!??!! doing another test tomorrow but it is just a runny nose.

 

[NotTheBatesMotel]

We were there on Tue & Wed. I know it's still early but so far so good. My son picked up Fifths Disease/slapped cheek disease at Disneyworld in early November but is doing fine now.

 

[DLgal]

I've gone to the parks almost 25 times in the last six months. No one in my family has gotten covid or any other illness after our visit. (My husband got breakthrough in August from a sick co worker). We are all vaccinated and wear masks as dictated by Disney indoors.

I'm going again 4 more times this month. Not worried about it as we mostly stay outdoors.

 

[Disney0010]

We were there last Sunday and Monday traveling home on Tuesday morning. We masked up most of the time unless we had a nice open area outdoors. So far so good. We’re both fully vaccinated and boostered.

We‘re scheduled to go again right after the first of the year but at this point we will probably cancel. Right now things are getting crazy again. Everyone has to make a decision as to their own health. No right or wrong answer.